Category: Products

Choosing The Right Data Catalog – 14 Tips For Businesses

Miley on June 29, 2020

When you are selecting a data catalog, this decision is similar (and equally complicated) to the purchase of any other tangible or intangible element. It is obvious that any data catalog would help you understand and analyze previous data sets. However, the ease of getting to the final outcome (the quality) of the data catalog marks the difference.

In the following article, we will discuss how you can utilize various key markers to evaluate the quality of the data catalog. Let’s move forward and explore more about data catalogs.

What Is the Function of a Data Catalog?

The original purpose of a data catalog is to help a data analyst understand data. With better visibility into the past and existing information sets, the usefulness of this data improves. As a result, the quality of the findings also improve. Simply put, a data catalog is your one-stop solution for data curation and governance.

Today, data catalogs are being utilized not only for handling data inventory of organizations but also for enhancing analysis outcomes, quality, and handling data assets. In fact, compliance teams necessarily check cataloging to maintain critical guidelines of GDPR and other regulations. Traditionally, data cataloging was restricted to analyzing and understanding data. But now, it has moved towards a community-centric and extensive organizational collaboration approach, which has made cataloging essential for data management.

14 Tips to Choose The Best Data Catalog

When you are selecting a data catalog, it is necessary to ensure that this catalog meets the requirements and fits the culture of your organization. To help you achieve this, we have discussed 14 tips below. Read on.

Data Set Cataloging

The first thing that you should expect your data catalog to do is to support data discovery, including new dataset discovery and the initial making of the catalog. With the help of machine learning, your data catalog should fetch metadata, perform automated tagging, and achieve semantic inference. This is imperative to acquire optimum value from cataloging automation. It can reduce manual efforts and errors.

Data Set Search

The data catalog should include the ability to search – something which is the basic requirement. Your team should be able to search with keywords, facets, and other related business terms. An NLP-powered catalog can make this task easier for non-tech teams or users.

Note: The search option should always have a mask to secure datasets that a certain user is not authorized to view or access.

Operation Cataloging

Any data catalog should have the ability to offer preparation of operations to users. These operations should be integrated into datasets for data blending, formatting, and improvement. This means that the catalog should support multiple operational associations with – data operations to data and many-to-many.

For instance, one of the mandatory operations would be to secure PII or personally identifiable information of users.

Data Set Recommendation

Recommendations are great for finding data quickly. This is why having a data catalog with recommendations can help you improve the connection between dataset, workflow, and data preparation. This recommendation engine should be equipped to automatically detect dataset relationships and overlapping features of datasets.

Evaluation of Data Set

Finding datasets is the first leg of the bigger picture. This means that the data catalog should also allow the data analyst to see profiles of data, preview data, find ratings, understand customer reviews, evaluate the quality of information, and check annotation by the curator.

Access to Data

After checking the data evaluation, data access should be analyzed. There exist multiple types of datasets, which could be connected to the catalog. For instance, tagged files, RDBMS, flat files, graph databases, document stores, text documents, geospatial data, etc. Along with access to these datasets, protections should be placed to ensure compliance and security.

Catalog of Metadata

Always ensure that the metadata collected in your data catalog is rich in quality.

What type of data is sourced related to datasets?
What knowledge do we have of processes and data lineage?
Does the data contain details of SMEs, curators, etc.?

Asking these questions will give you a clear idea about the quality of metadata cataloging. Once these details are cataloged, it is necessary to ensure the right usage of metadata.

Who is using it?
What are the use cases of this usage?
What is the frequency of use?

This can help you move towards intelligent recommendations.

Valuation of Data

One of the widely accepted facts about data catalogs is data valuation. The catalog should offer value for data datasets. This means that the information you receive should be able to create some value for the business, and the catalog itself should contribute to the estimation of value.

Data Security

Proper security governance is necessary to ensure authorization and authentication. Allowing users to securely access data which they are authorized to see and authenticating access to the catalog for complete data security remain a top function of the process of cataloging.

Here, consider the levels of security constraints: row or record level, or field or column level.

Data Lineage or Tracing

The data catalog should offer transparency to the user to check data lineage. This means the ability to check the source of data, how it was generated, and where it is coming from. It is not uncommon to have breaks in lineage, such as when the dataset is extracted from ETL tools. When your catalog is able to fill these gaps, you can derive the source of the dataset to understand a dataset fully.

Data Compliance

One of the amazing features that we get with the right data catalog is the ability to maintain compliance. It, in fact, should maintain compliance according to the changing regulations. Hence, when you are selecting a data catalog, look for a catalog powered by machine learning, which will automatically determine metadata and profile assets. This will also contain pre-written procedures for access restrictions and masking.

Data Quality

When your catalog doesn’t offer quality data, your reports and other models are of no use. For this reason, quality data helps you achieve business-ready datasets. So, the catalog should be integrated to achieve quality data from disparate sources to seamlessly improve the output in the form of reports.

It is necessary to understand that your catalog will not perform the cleansing, but it can offer you discrepancy and deficiency points, which are likely to create a bottleneck in the quality. You can use this to make amends.

Data Interoperability

Data interoperability simply means the ability to integrate with various tools. This indicates the manner in which your data catalog will integrate with your visualization tools and data preparation software.

Data Catalog Deployment

Once you have considered all the above factors, check the technical infrastructure support that you need. Whether your culture supports cloud, hybrid, and on-premise deployments, or if you want web-based or server-based implementations. After analyzing all these deployment requirements, run a final check with the data catalog vendor to move in the right direction.

Conclusion

There are multiple factors that help in deciding the right data catalog. Only after considering all the above requirements, you would be able to arrive at the right point, from where you can evaluate your budget and finalize a data catalog. Before you make that decision, don’t forget to take note of the consulting offered, along with the future plans of the vendor for transformation. Once you are satisfied with all these factors, you would be able to select the right data catalog.

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Essential Services for Silicon Valley Startups

Miley on June 28, 2020

Running a startup is not easy – especially if you don’t have a proper plan in place. Just like any other business, running a startup comes will numerous challenges.

Most entrepreneurs take up those challenges and create opportunities out of them. They try to make each day as productive as possible.

Nonetheless, the truth of the matter is that you can’t have enough time to complete all the responsibilities of your business. That’s where outsourcing comes in handy.

There are several companies that specialize in offering different types of services designed to support startups and other businesses. The good thing about outsourcing is that you get time to concentrate or focus on other important matters.

Below are some of the essential services for Silicon Valley startups:

1. Credit card processing

Every business today – no matter how small or big needs to process card payments. This can be a hectic job particularly if you have many customers. It can eat up a great deal of your time to ensure that everything is done correctly.

However, you can save yourself from all that trouble by outsourcing your credit processing to an expert. Most companies charge a small fee of about 1 to 3%, per transaction – which is reasonable compared to the amount of work they do.

Getting paid on time on time is a bid deal for most businesses. As long as you are able to keep the end of your bargain, then accepting credit cards can rapidly drive the growth of your business.

2. Reliable printing services

Printing is another essential service that is key to the operation of many small businesses and startups. Although most of the operations have gone digital, there are some business aspects that still need documents to be printed out.

This can be time-consuming for a company that has limited resources and employees. The best option is to find reliable printing services in San Francisco or San Jose.

There are many companies that specialize in bulk printing services at fair prices. The most important thing is to know your budget and how to negotiate.

3. Website design services

Most customers expect your business to have a website – even if the business has nothing to do with the internet. Besides, having a website gives an impression of seriousness and commitment to serve customers in a better way.

That’s why you need to create not just a website, but a website that will command respect from customers and competitors.

There are many website design companies that can create a website that speaks to the strengths of your business. Get a list of them and identify one that offers quality services at reasonable prices.

4. Marketing consultancy

Marketing is critical for any business. As such, it needs a lot of planning and strategizing to be able to promote a business effectively. Most businesses find it hard to do marketing for themselves because of the time it requires.

This is the reason why outsourcing can be a great solution for such businesses. Marketing consultancy firms specialize in different kinds of marketing and branding. All you need is to identify a company that understands your business.

5. Accounting

Gone are the days when companies had to struggle with reconciling their accounts to ensure everything is in order. Today, companies are realizing the importance of outsourcing accounting services instead of hiring internal staff to do that.

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Different Approaches for Test Automation for Microservices

Miley on June 25, 2020

Most companies that use DevOps are turning to Microservices for their code development. Microservices are small-sized parts of an application that are focused on completing one task. They are a subpart of a module. These services are independent of each other. Hence they can be tested separately by QA testing companies without worrying about dependencies. Microservices can also be deployed independently.

All of those are neat benefits. But not everything is great when it comes to microservices. In fact, one of the downsides is that they are hard to test since each has its own codebase, dependencies management, and database schema. Even for local testing, you have to make sure that you’re using the latest code stack., all data migrations are up to date, and that you’re using the correct code branch.

Since this can be pretty challenging, here are a few ways through which microservices testing can be automated.

1. Full-stack inbox testing

In this, you create the testing environment on a local system. Then you carry out the quality testing on that local system, by testing each instance one by one. The machine is called a vagrant box, as Vagrant is used to creating that environment.

Benefits:

Building your virtual machine will take minutes
Pre-built Vagrant provisioners
Anyone can test over the internet by downloading the same machine on their laptop.
QA becomes easier.

Problems:

Spinning the machine locally can have unexpected errors.
This system doesn’t scale.
Trying to replicate a cloud infrastructure environment on a local system doesn’t test the same way.

2. End to end testing

End-to-end testing is the Quality Assurance for all the parts of the system i,e, services, integration, interface, and network. This type of testing tests the whole user journey, from start to finish. You can also use the 80/20 rule – that is, not simulating all the parts of a real test, just pieces of it.

Benefits:

It validates all layers of the service, such as the data layer, integration layer, presentation layer, and business layer.
It reduces time and costs by decreasing errors.

Problems:

Many companies don’t believe End-to-End testing is useful for microservices as they are not full applications. Hence there won’t be a workflow that tests all aspects of service.
Testing gets complex every time you introduce a new microservice into the architecture.

3. Unit testing

Unit testing is done by writing test cases for a particular unit/part of the code. A unit can be one method or a whole module. The basic idea is to divide the repository into smaller components and to test them individually.

Ideally, unit testing should be done by minimizing external dependencies. Doing so will ensure quality even if the external environment around the unit changes.

Benefits :

You can use different development languages or frameworks for unit testing.

Problems:

Testers may write wrong tests
Debugging unit tests often wastes time instead of saving it.

4. Documentation first testing

Also called the API First approach. In it, you create the API along with its documentation before anything else. The API documentation is made open-source.

Developers APIs are considered “High-level citizens.” Doing so creates a contract for how to make changes to them. If anyone wants to change API or create their own based on them, they’ll have to review the document to make sure that the new API upholds the standards mentioned in the Original API.

Benefits:

Increases Speed to market
It reduces costs. Well suited for cloud development.
Many teams can work parallelly based on API definitions in the documentation.

Problems :

Setting up the initial API can be challenging.
Testing all parameters in API Request combinations can take long
Schema updating of the API may cause downtime because of new parameters.

5. Stubbed Testing

Used for top-down integrating quality testing. In it, you use small codes called stubs for testing. They behave and handle data like microservices but they are just dummies – small, isolated parts of your application.

Software testing companies use stub tests when they need to do QA after taking input from the user. The system can just mimic user behavior.

Benefits:

Can test the primary module without the smaller modules (top-down approach)
Reproduce complex modules easily
Can test without the required response.
Saves time

Problems:

Shallower than other methods.
Static methods cannot be stubbed
Pointer method signatures not supported.

You can use different tools software testing companies use to test microservices, such as:

Goreplay: Open-source, a networking tool that monitors live traffic.
VCR: a unit testing tool that records HTTP interactions for your test suite.
Apiary: a documentation tool. It can write, mock, and spin an API in 30 minutes.
Wilma: Service virtualization tool. Combines Service stubs and HTTPS proxy
Wiremock: HTTP based API simulator. Creates an actual HTTP server and mimics web service.

Conclusion

Microservices testing can be difficult but is an unavoidable part of development. You can change your strategy as per requirement and situation. There is uncertainty in this type of testing, but if you apply tried and tested theories like Stubbed testing, documentation testing, etc., you won’t face any problems.

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The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Outsourcing Software Development

Miley on June 25, 2020

When a business needs to create, customize, or manage software solutions for their business, they simply don’t have the time, know-how, or manpower to do so in most cases. Thus, many organizations have made the smart decision to partner with a third-party outsourcing provider for all of their software development needs.

Outsourcing software development has a number of significant advantages for companies of all sizes and specialties. The practice reduces costs by not keeping team members as in-house, full-time employees. As they are part of an external team, the hiring company must only pay a flat monthly or hourly rate or pay for the entire project (depending on the contract). Companies are able to scale the number of people on their teams up or down as well, helping to ensure maximum efficiency and use of resources.

Outsourcing companies, such as BairesDev, give organizations access to niche skill sets and a wide variety of talent that they may not have been able to access otherwise. (Learn more about BairesDev here: https://www.bairesdev.com/software-development-services/software-outsourcing/) These teams keep costs down while operating at maximum efficiency to help companies stay focused on their core business tasks and still accomplishing their software goals.

The Most Common Software Development Outsourcing Mistakes

Working with an outsourcing company for software development projects is very beneficial for all kinds of businesses. However, the partnership can go awry when the hiring company makes mistakes. This doesn’t just lead to failed projects, but to loss of time, loss of money, and an indefinitely postponed launch of the final product.

It’s very important that companies understand what it takes to have a good partnership with a third-party outsourcing provider. Not only that, but they should be aware of the common pitfalls and how they can prevent them from happening.

Here are just a few examples of the most common outsourcing problems and how to prevent them:

Choosing an outsourcing company based on the lowest cost. – Most outsourcing companies do exist to help cut down on the cost of developing software. The price of hiring talented developers at an offshore or nearshore development company can be a fraction of what it would cost to hire a developer to work in-house.
However, saving a few extra dollars overall to hire a more inexperienced development team at the lowest cost could have dire consequences. Obviously cost is a deciding factor in making any business decision, but it should not be the only one. Take experience levels, technology offerings, project examples, communication abilities, and the company as a whole into account in all decision making.
Not making communication a top priority. – Communication makes or breaks an outsourcing project. When working with an outsourced team, communication becomes more important than ever. Before a project begins and an outside team is even hired, companies must take the time to fully establish the project goals, the intended functionality, the necessary requirements, and any other important information that the development team should know. After selecting an outsourcing provider, leaders need to decide on the required communication methods and frequency of communication. Thanks to programs such as Slack and Skype, instant communication between teams all over the world is possible. Regular meetings (via phone or video chat) should occur to help ensure that all team members are on the same page and kept updated on progress throughout the duration of the project.
Setting unreasonable timelines. – While outsourcing companies are able to expedite timelines thanks to the experience and skill sets of their talent, they aren’t magicians. Timelines must still account for any bugs, issues, or additional development requirements that may not have initially come up. If the hiring company sets a due date that is simply unattainable, the project will fail, not be up to necessary standards, or important items could be overlooked. Instead, companies should work with the development team to decide on a fair time frame that works for both the devs and the end-users.
Not having any kind of in-house tech know-how. – Some companies enter outsourcing contracts without having any kind of in-house technology understanding on their end. While outsourcing companies offer their team leaders, it doesn’t mean that they will be able to fully align their work without being able to discuss the logistics with the in-house team. These in-house employees don’t have to be experts, but just having a tech resource available is helpful and will prevent possible communication issues.
Underestimating the importance of quality assurance and testing. – Again, developers are not magicians. While they are experts in their respective field(s), outsourced development projects are bound to have bugs and errors. This is why quality assurance processes and testing are so important throughout the entire Software Development Life Cycle. Some hiring companies believe that they are hiring experts so they should not have to also hire testers and QA professionals. This is simply not the case.

Software development outsourcing companies are great resources for companies who need to complete development projects but simply don’t have the time, money, or know-how to do it in house. As long as best practices are put into place from the very beginning of the relationship with an outsourcing company, these costly mistakes are avoidable for joint success.

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How Can I Use Videos For Lead Scoring?

Miley on June 22, 2020

Like marketing and sales tactics, videos can and should be calculated. This information can be used to guarantee your work will reach the right people. Videos require a different approach to metrics with different numbers when building the correct lead scoring process. We at Inovit will break down how lead scoring works and how different kinds of videos fit into the scheme.

Just What Is Lead Scoring?

Lead scoring is evaluating a prospect or customer readiness to buy your products or services. This is determined by the level of engagement with your service or brand and the customer’s intention in purchasing. For a long time now, customers are seen as a funnel but you must realize some customers are non-linear with sustenance going beyond the final sale. Lead scoring measures behavior from one customer to another. The most popular way to achieve this is with marketing automation platforms including Hubspot, Marketo, Pardot, or Act-On.

Every company has different needs and ways to evaluate their customers. Sales and marketing teams must create a lead scoring system that will work for both parties to deliver the best results.

Your traditional lead scoring assigns values to different interactions with your marketing or sales activities. In some cases, different interactions may be a lot more valuable than others. This all depends on the level of engagement of the prospect with your company. Each interaction is weighted or given a number of points based on the level of importance of every interaction of your sales or marketing team.

For instance, a prospect that has signed up for a webinar or watching a sales demo would be considered a more valuable prospect than someone viewing a video in your newsletter, liking a video post on Facebook, or viewing a YouTube pre-roll ad that plays before a featured video.

A lead scoring template will tie a numerical points system to each interaction that connects with the customer’s journey. In other words, the more points a prospect has, the more qualified the sales or marketing lead will be. There are different point thresholds that carry the consumer through the journey, prompting sales and marketing teams to perform other actions when engaging with the prospect.

We are huge fans of explainer videos and one from Hubspot breaks it down really well:

Some examples of template, marketing, automation platforms such as Marketo and Hubspot have excellent resources to help you get started.

Why Is Video Lead Scoring Different?

Videos are a unique medium with different metrics than those of sales and marketing tactics. Each metric should be mapped to your lead scoring chart with different levels of engagement connected to different tiers of the customer journey.

Using video lead scoring metrics information along with information from your prospect’s business to create a lead scoring scheme to accurately predict the likelihood that a prospect will become a customer, is risky.

If you look back at past data and see who your current clients are and how they behave, would be ideal. Many marketing automation platforms are offering increases by sophisticated tools to help you.

About Video Production For Different Stages of A Customer’s Journey

Now that you understand how lead scoring works and what metrics to use to evaluate, it’s time to look at how different types of videos play a role.

Top-Of-Funnel Videos

You should think about top-of-funnel videos as an introductory phase for your viewers. You need to capture your viewers and get them engaged in your brand. This is your big opportunity to set a really great impression.

Explainer videos will help educate new viewers and give them an insight into who you are. Broadcast commercials and social media videos can help reach out to new audiences.

As said before, brand awareness videos must prove value and must answer some very important questions:

• What makes your business different from others?

• What makes you better than your competitors?

• Why should prospective customers listen to you?

• How can you help me?

You need to consider middle-of-the-funnel videos. Once you have captured prospective customers who are interested in your brand, you need to prove your overall value and then turn these people into positive sales leads. Once you are at this stage, make sure you are giving them more in-depth information that agrees with your audience’s point of view. Videos like webinars, case studies, how-to, and customer testimonials can give you an edge for prospective customers looking to learn more about how your product or service will benefit them.

A more in-depth video explainer video that is tailored to certain products, services, or industries can provide your audiences with detailed answers to specific questions.

Sales – Bottom-Funnel Videos And Renewals

Think about it, bottom-funnel videos are the most important part of your sales team. These videos are constantly used on demos, with existing customers, and even sales calls. These videos can be perfect for a product walkthrough, explainer videos, or specific topics for webinars, and so much more.

Retargeting and Creating Loyalty Among Potential Customers

It can be quite beneficial for reactivating leads that have gone cold or to entice repeat purchases using videos. The type of video will depend on the viewer. You might choose to target a YouTube or social media ad toward visitors to your website that did not convert. You might also send a video email to follow up with a customer who attended your webinar but did not enter the funnel. Videos can excite current customers regarding a new product or a feature with an explainer video that breaks down into detail about your product or feature. You already know these people have invested in your company with a brand, so give them a little shove in that direction.

The Value of Lead Scoring With Videos

You have put a lot of work into creating a video so it’s very important that you make the effort to measure the impact. Lead scoring is very valuable because it will give you the insight to create a video that will give your audience the very best experience and entice them to buy your brand.

A Short Summary

We have added a great deal of information in this article to draw viewers to your site and purchase your products. We have gone over choosing voice-overs vs animated text while pointing out that voice-overs have become more popular and why. Why mobile devices need to be discussed on a different level as the data connection is now so much faster. But ask yourself if this an avenue that will work best for your viewers?

We cannot impress upon you enough, if you are using someone else’s work, you must get permission from the creator due to copyright laws. There are so many articles on the subject, read all you can and become familiar with all the dos and don’t s regarding copyright.

We at Inovit have gone out of our way to provide you with valuable information that will take a while to digest while helping you find the best marketing tactics that will work best for your videos and draw your potential and current customers to your site and buy your products!

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5 Current Technologies Bringing Us Closer to True AI

Miley on June 20, 2020

Artificial intelligence is quickly taking shape in different aspects of our lives. Many companies are working on ways to replace human labor with artificial intelligence.

It is believed that a few years from now robots will be performing most of the work being done by human beings. What does that mean for most people who rely on formal employment to earn a living?

Well, some technology experts argue that it is impossible to completely replace human labor with artificial intelligence software (AI). Others believe that a time is coming when robots will be doing everything that’s currently being done by humans.

Whatever the case, the truth is that the race towards artificial intelligence is gaining momentum every day.

Below are 5 technologies that are bringing us closer to True AI:

1. Ridesharing apps like Lyft and Uber

This is one of the technologies that is driving us closer and closer to true artificial intelligence. Have you ever asked yourself how Uber or Lyft determine the price of each ride? Or how they minimize time as soon as you board the car? How about matching you with other passengers to reduce detours?

Well, the answer is machine learning (ML) software designed to predict the demand of riders in order to push up the prices. The head of machine learning at Uber admitted that the company uses different forms of artificial intelligence technology to perform various activities. He added that Uber is investing in different other technologies related to AI.

2. Chatbots

Chatbots are another form of modern technology that’s taking us closer to AI. The best chatbot examples include those used by Emirates vacation, World Health Organization COVID-19, National Geographic, Hipmunk, Civilized Caveman Duolingo, Amtrak among others.

A chatbot feature is software designed to trigger conversations with human beings on the internet. Many companies use chatbots as part of cutting down operation costs such as communications and customer service.

3. Alexa

When Alexa was first introduced to the market by Amazon, many people around the world were taken by surprise. The software has proved to be a revolutionary product considering its usefulness in the voice industry.

Amazon has been improving the technology ever since it was launched. Several features have been added that make it easy for users to customize its use.

4. Cogito

This artificial intelligence software was originally developed by Dr. Sandy Pentland and Joshua Feast. It is one of the most powerful forms of behavioral adaptation to improve the emotional intelligence of customer representatives.

Cogito is a combination of behavioral science and machine learning designed to improve phone interaction of customer representatives in the market today. The software is used for millions of voice calls happening every day.

5. Netflix

This is another revolutionary software service that’s giving the true meaning of artificial intelligence. Netflix software offers accurate predictions with regard to a consumer’s reaction to various films. This feature is part of why the popular streaming service has given traditional telecom services a run for their money.

The software assesses billions of films based on a customer’s previous reactions to film choices. This technology is still undergoing several improvements. No one knows what it will be capable of doing in the coming years.

In general, there are a lot of technologies that are bringing as much closer to AI reality. It will be a matter of time before the world experiences the real power of artificial intelligence.

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Digital Products and Services That Drive Marketing

Miley on June 18, 2020

Technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives including marketing. For example, before the advent of the internet, most companies relied solely on print and electronic media to market their products and services.

However, the introduction of the internet has opened a myriad of opportunities – that have taken marketing and advertising to another level.

A good example is social media. It is hard to find a business or company today that doesn’t use social media to market products and services.

Below are some of the digital products and services that are driving the market:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

This is one of the popular digital services used by companies and individuals to drive marketing. It is considered one of the most effective marketing strategies today.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization is a technique used to optimize the content of a website so that it can easily be found on popular search engines. The objective is to create keywords that are commonly frequently searched by internet users and drive them to your website.

The effectiveness of SEO depends on who is implementing it. Most marketing companies hire professionals to optimize their business websites.

2. Digital Product Development Agencies

This is another digital service that is driving the marketing industry. There are many digital product development agencies whose focus is to market products and services for other companies. They are responsible for identifying what marketing strategy suits your need and implementing them.

A digital product development agency can analyze your business and recommend an appropriate marketing strategy. If you implement a marketing strategy and you can’t see the results a few months down the line, then it means you are missing something. You need a professional to analyze and recommend something that will work for you.

3. Email marketing

Email marketing strategy is as old as the internet. It is another digital service that is being employed by many companies to market products and services. It is also considered one of the most online marketing strategies after SEO.

How does email marketing work? Email marketing focuses on maintaining existing clients or customers and attracting new ones. It is a perfect strategy for those who want to build brand awareness as well as encourage repeat clients.

4. Social media marketing (SMM)

Social media has proved to be a powerful marketing strategy in the modern-day. Most companies have taken into social media to market their products and services. This is because social media platforms have the power to reach a large audience within a short time.

As a result, most companies have opted to hire professional marketers to run their social media pages. This has led to an increase in competition in different sectors.

5. Pay-per-click (PPC)

PPC is also another major service that is driving the marketing and advertising industry. Pay-per-click service works very simply – a client bids for words that they want their ads to show up for. That means when a user clicks on one of the keywords, their ad is automatically triggered.

The good thing about PPC is that you don’t pay for space to advertise, but rather for the results you get.

In general, there are several digital products and services that drive marketing. All you need to do is identify a strategy that works for your business.

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The Tech Your Employees Need for Peak Performance

Miley on June 18, 2020

Technology has helped to simplify tasks and improve performance. However, the market is filled with all kinds of equipment and software claiming to be the best at managing employees. The availability of numerous options can make it difficult to choose. That’s why we’ve prepared this list of the best tech for your employees.

1. Virtual Reality

Your employees need to undergo training at least once every year. The training familiarizes them with the latest issues in their work environment and teaches them how to cope with such scenarios. Traditionally, employees had to handle real-life scenarios as part of the training. Some of those situations were risky for the employees. Instead of hiring someone to train your employees, use virtual reality for learning purposes. This technology introduces the employee to a virtual environment without putting them in harm’s way. It also offers a variety of scenarios for better problem-solving.

2. Multiple Monitors

Have you ever tried to use multiple programs on a single computer at the same time? It’s a lot of work. That’s why you should consider installing multiple screens in the workstation. You can use an adjustable monitor arm or mount for the extra screen. That way, your employees don’t have to keep switching between different windows. With two screens, the worker can use two programs simultaneously and be more productive.

3. Wireless Laser Printers and Copiers

Your staff has to print documents for record-keeping purposes. The workers also have to print documents for meetings and customers. If you want your employees to be more productive, invest in high-speed wireless laser printers. That way, they can print bulk documents within a short time. Wireless printers will also keep the work environment free from wires, which can be a hazard – somebody can trip on those wires and hurt themselves badly. Also, anyone can connect to the wireless printer from their computer. As a result, printing becomes more efficient.

4. Cloud Service

Today’s workers want flexibility. Your workers don’t have to come to the office every weekday. You can give them some days off to work from home. That change in environment helps the worker become more creative and focused. Invest in cloud services so that employees can share and access files through the platform. It will make remote work easier and safer.

5. Virtual Assistant Software

How many times during the day does an employee respond to a customer query? How many times does the employee give the same response over and over again? If your answer to these questions is multiple times, that employee is wasting time. You should invest in a virtual assistant software to get rid of repetitive tasks in the workplace. It will allow employees to make better use of their time.

6. Network Security

You should also invest in better network security so that employees can use their devices without putting the business at risk. According to experts, bring your own device or BYOD policies improve productivity. Employees feel more at ease when using their devices at work. It motivates them to be more productive. You can only allow employees to use their laptops if the system has been secured. Since you have no control over what the employee keeps on their computer, you have to protect the office network from malware and dangerous programs.

To conclude, most of the tech on this list is easy to use. That means you won’t have to waste time training employees. Make sure you tell the employees about the new equipment so they can be prepared.

Development Insights Martech Products

Phone Apps for Fitness

Miley on June 17, 2020

Over the past few years, fitness apps have become popular, especially among the younger generation. One of the biggest reasons for the surge is the convenience they provide. Using an app, a person can work out at any time, from anywhere.

The Demand for Apps

Apps are a part of nearly every adult’s life. People use them for things like finding food, entertainment, retail supplies, and for social media. The new technology lets you access almost anything with a push of a button.

Apps for Exercising

Maintaining physical fitness is important. Until recently, you needed to go to a gym or fitness center in order to attend classes. Nowadays, all you need to do is select an app and your workout begins. Smart TVs and iPhones make it easier than ever to have a virtual instructor directly in front of you, allowing you to mimic the movements and keep in time. You can find Pilates and yoga classes, floor exercise sessions, and dance routines and apps for performing on workout bikes and cross-trainers. Of course, you will need to have the equipment as necessary on hand to take part.

Apps to Track Weight Loss

A big part of achieving your fitness goals is maintaining a healthy weight. Thankfully, along with workout apps, there are apps that allow you to monitor your calorie intake daily versus the number of calories required to sustain your desired weight. This lets you slowly reduce your intake of calories while also developing better eating habits and smaller portions. Nutrition apps can help you remain motivated to achieve goals.

Fitness tracking Apps

Ever wonder if you are working out too often or not enough? Today, you can remove the guesswork with an app that tracks fitness. Some of the features on these apps include a count of steps, the number of stairs you climb, and how long you run. Many of them also have the ability to save daily results as well as your routines for convenient monitoring of your progress. Devices that you wear often work in conjunction with the apps. One such app, the Runkeeper, lets users track activities, monitor progress, and offer training tips prior to an event.

Benefits of Fitness Apps

Not everyone has time to attend the local gym two to three times each week. With fitness apps, you can get in an extreme workout while at home or on vacation. Fitness apps will help you burn more calories, target areas of the body that need improvement, build lean muscles, and achieve a fit physique. Nutrition apps help you learn the right foods to eat, the number of calories you consume, and the recommended number of calories you need to consume to sustain your desired weight.

Getting the Most Out of Your Fitness App

Of course, if you don’t use the app, you won’t reap its benefits. Just like having a gym membership, you have to go and workout in order to lose weight and tone your body. The good news is that they are convenient, so accessing it when you have free time is easy. The key to your success is to remain motivated. It’s also beneficial to switch up workouts. For instance, one day do aerobics and the next session does cardio dance. This way your workouts will remain invigorating instead of stale, keeping you interested, and performing at your best.

Maintaining a healthy body is something that’s easier than ever to achieve. There are hundreds of fitness apps available. Select a few that provide the features you want, and then see which ones work best for you.

Insights Products

Dropped Your Mac Book Accidentally? Basic Steps for Troubleshoot Check

Miley on June 3, 2020

You just invested your entire month’s pocket money in purchasing a new Mac Book. You are excited about using it. You chat with your friends online and accidentally you drop it down! Mac books are delicate systems and so they can easily get damaged.

The external body may not be completely shockproof, and so these systems are generally not tested for the drop test. Attempting to test your best Mac book on your own, may never be advisable. You can search for MacBook repair in Auckland experts to get more familiar with drop test features on your own.

Professional Mac book repair services will never advise you to take the drop test for your new Mac book on your own.

So in case, you dropped your Mac Book accidentally, then here is what you should be doing next. Just follow the basic instructions provided by our expert team.

Avoid dropping very often

The drop test for your Mac Book can be considered as a type of death sentence for it. Even if done accidentally, still there are chances that it could get damaged permanently. The screen may need immediate replacement or the outer body could crack easily.

This is why most experts always suggest that it is wise to handle your Mac Book with the utmost care when using it outdoors or indoors.

Always inform the experts

The most important thing that you need to keep in mind is that DIY experiments should be avoided in all circumstances. If you are not a technical person, then don’t try to repair it on your own. Try and approach the registered company service center to get it verified for internal and external damages.

Be aware that certain damages may not be visible immediately after the failed drop test.

Check the screen first

In most cases, the screen will easily get damaged even if you drop it from a lower height. Besides if you have dropped it in a bucket of water, then don’t even try to switch it on the back on your own. If you see any visible marks or scratches on the screen, then contact the service experts immediately.

Mac Book may be working well even if the screen is damaged internally. So before you switch on, it is advisable to check.

Avoid plugging in power immediately

The moment you find that the Mac Book is not working you should avoid plugging it directly to a PowerPoint. There are chances that the PowerPoint could get damaged and needs to be replaced immediately.

If the battery charging point is damaged then it could easily damage the power socket as well. If the Mac Book is not working then you should try and press the power button for a few seconds. It is better to rush immediately to a Mac Book expert.